District 7A Del. Ryan Nawrocki and Del. Kathy Szeliga: “Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuilding efforts must mimic the response of the I-35 Mississippi River Bridge collapse”
In response to the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims who are most affected by this tragedy. We also want to thank our brave and diligent first responders who were able to respond to this incident immediately and have been working non-stop in the cold waters to search for survivors and answers.
We are calling on federal, state and local authorities to replicate the recovery and rebuild efforts of the 2007 I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapse which was rebuilt in less than 13 months. Within two days of that bridge collapse, congress bipartisanly passed a unanimous resolution to spend $250 million to rebuild that bridge. All efforts were streamlined as multiple agencies worked unilaterally to rebuild the bridge safely in record time.
The time period of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge can decrease from several years to months if we replicate the rebuilding efforts of the Minneapolis Bridge project and not allow government red tape to hold back the recovery efforts. Together, we are Maryland Strong!
“Thank goodness for the May Day warning alerted by the ship which allowed police officers to stop traffic on
the bridge, avoiding further loss of life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families, as
well as our emergency responders who were able to react to the incident in minutes,” said Delegate Kathy Szeliga.
“Our community must and will come together during this tragedy that affects everyone in Baltimore and so many people in Maryland
and we will assist in this matter in any way possible.”
Delegate Ryan Nawrocki said “I drive this bridge twice a day. I drove over this bridge last night at 9:30 p.m.Key
This issue directly impacts many Marylanders who either drive this bridge or work at the Port. We must
expedite the process to get the channel cleared and the bridge rebuilt as quickly as possible.”
